Heresy: Mass: We Pray

Dante’s Inferno is a video game based on the epic poem. Players, assuming the role of Dante, must descend through the Nine Circles of Hell (Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery).

Franchises and sequels dominate the gaming landscape, making it difficult for new games to stand out. Our job was to generate early buzz, awareness and excitement among hardcore gamers, who account for the majority of sales and word of mouth.

Ten months out we began our Highway to Hell, a campaign designed to provoke conversations around the game’s Nine Circles of Hell via sinful controversy. We employed various digital media in conjunction with direct mail, live events and broadcast spots to create one cohesive and unique campaign. We staged fake religious protests, created a fake heretical game, sparked debates about the integrity of the blogosphere, conned the press into acts of greed, gluttony and anger, advertised fraudulent products and encouraged gamers to commit acts of treachery. Along the way we spawned Internet memes, re-invented the Rick-Roll, generated 300 million unpaid impressions, created one of the most talked about campaigns in gaming history and made Dante’s Inferno one of the most anticipated games of the year.